Kaos
by The End of Always
Summary: It's been a year since Loki joined the Avengers, and they finally seem to trust him. Will that change when they find out where he's been sneaking off to all the time? Fluff!
1. Chapter 1

"Loki? LOKI!" Natasha stomped down the stairs of Stark Tower, half ready to strangle the God of Mischief when she found him. She'd been looking for him all morning and hadn't found so much as a single piece of machinery out of place. Normally there was a trail of pranks leading straight to Loki, but not now, when she really needed to find him. Fury was going to throw a fit if he missed yet _another_training session.

Natasha stuck her head through the doorway of Tony's laboratory. "Either of you two seen Loki today?" He and Bruce were studying some diagrams, probably of another addition to Stark Tower. Clint called them Science Buddies since they spent almost all their time together holed away in some lab making something brilliant but absolutely useless.

Tony looked up briefly, his mind obviously still focusing on the diagrams in front of him. "Ask JARVIS."

"Loki reprogrammed JARVIS to only sing Christmas carols, and you haven't figured out how to fix it yet, remember?"

Tony finally put down the diagrams and went off to rummage in a drawer. After a few choice swear words and several devices tossed over his shoulder, he finally stood up holding what looked like a cell phone, only with an antenna sticking out the end. "Then I suppose it's time to use this!" He paused dramatically, waiting for Natasha to ask what it was. She didn't. Crestfallen, he explained, "I implanted a tracking device in Loki's arm a year ago when he first joined us, just to be safe. If Twig Boy's anywhere in this realm, this baby can find him."

Natasha took the device from Tony's outstretched hand and examined it. "Better not let Thor hear about this tracking device. He'd go berserk."

Tony grinned wolfishly. "Relax, Muscles wouldn't recognize a computer if you dropped it on his toe. Believe me, I've tried it. There's no way he'll notice the tracking device."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "You'd better be right. Anyway, I'd better go find our missing Trickster before Fury blows a fuse."

"I'm always right!" Tony wandered back to his diagrams and Natasha set off down the stairs. She passed Thor in the living room watching Animal Planet. That explained why he wasn't tearing the tower apart trying to find his brother. Loki had chosen a good time to slip away – Thor could sit and watch television for hours on end, entranced by the tiny moving pictures.

"Hey there, Tasha. Where you headed in such a hurry?" Natasha smiled slightly and turned towards the sound of Clint's voice. He jumped down the last few stairs to join her.

"Loki's bogged off and apparently this thing is supposed to find him. Care to join me?"

"How could I resist such a tantalizing offer?" Clint put an arm around her shoulder and smiled sweetly. They'd been dating officially for eight months now, and Natasha still couldn't believe how lucky she was. Not that she'd ever say that to Barton. She ducked out from under his arm and started walking, leaving Clint to follow like a devoted puppy.

Loki glanced behind him, fervently hoping he hadn't been followed. The Avengers seemed to trust him now, after a year of not trying to take over the world, but all that would end if they found him here. He wouldn't be able to live down the shame if he was discovered here…at the pet shop.

The bell over the door jingled when Loki walked in. The nice lady at the counter smiled at him – he'd been slipping away to this place whenever he could escape Stark Tower, and he always made a donation before he left.

"She missed you yesterday." The lady, Mrs. Green, came out from behind the counter and walked over to the kitten enclosure. "Stay as long as you like," she said with a smile as she unlocked the door.

"Thank you." Loki walked into the room and immediately felt at home. Several of the kittens ran over and started winding themselves around his ankles. Loki smiled. They were little more than balls of fluff, but they had no knowledge of his past or his heritage and so they accepted him into their little hearts without any qualms. And they were just so _cute._

As Loki bent down to stroke a ginger tabby, (her tag said Marmalade, but he called her Oransje), he felt tiny claws digging into his shin. He knew precisely which kitten it was – only one was brave enough to beg for attention by climbing up his leg. Loki gently pried the kitten off and cradled it in his arms. It mewed to show its displeasure, then promptly curled up against his chest and started purring. Loki softly stroked the kitten's black fur and it yawned, showing off tiny teeth. Loki had named all the kittens, but this was his favourite. She was all black except for one white patch around her left eye. Her eyes were jade green and glowed even in daylight. She had been the shyest at first, but now that she knew him she was more mischievous than all the others put together. Her purr was so quiet Loki almost had to press his ear to her fur to hear it. She was wild and random – chaotic. That was what he had named her. Kaos.

Clint followed Natasha down the streets of New York, the device in her hand leading them closer and closer to Loki. A little red dot blinked on the screen, showing Loki's location, but the buildings weren't labeled on the screen so they had no idea what he was doing. Clint wasn't too bothered – he and Natasha could handle anything.

Sunlight glinted off Natasha's auburn curls. She looked stunning, even in a t-shirt and too-big pair of Tony's jeans (Pepper's were too small, and Natasha hated shopping).

"This is it. He's in here." Natasha interrupted Clint's musings, stopping them halfway down a busy avenue. Clint looked up at the sign and frowned. A pet shop? What on earth was the God of Mischief doing in a pet shop?

The bell over the door jingled as they walked in. There was a lady behind the counter, but otherwise the store was empty. Clint glanced at the contraption in Natasha's end. It definitely said that Loki was in the shop.

"How can I help you?"

Natasha gave Clint a look that clearly said _let me do the talking_, then addressed the lady at the counter. "We're looking for a man with longish black hair and green eyes. He's a bit on the scrawny side."

Clint jumped in. "He doesn't smile much, and his sense of humour is a bit morbid."

Natasha elbowed him sharply in the side. "Have you seen him?"

"Well, there's a gentleman who physically fits your description, but he's perfectly lovely – not morbid at all! He's in the kitten room. Go on in; it's unlocked."

"Thank you, for your cooperation." Clint rolled his eyes at her typical military formality, then followed Natasha down the hall. She opened the door to the kitten enclosure, and Clint's jaw dropped.

"I don't believe it."

Loki was startled awake when the door opened. He couldn't move so much as an inch – with five kittens sleeping on him, any movement at all would be a felony. His eyes widened when he saw Clint and Natasha standing in the doorway.

"How did you find me?" He had to whisper for fear of waking the kittens. Natasha found the scene disturbingly cute – a man who had murdered eighty people in two days only a year ago, whispering for fear of waking up a few kittens.

"Stark tech. What are you doing here?" Natasha and Clint moved inside and shut the door, in case any of the kittens decided to explore.

"What does it look like? I'm hanging out with my friends in our sanctuary."

"It's official. His mind really is a bag of cats," Clint said, still watching Loki. He was covered in cat hair but he looked happier than either of them had ever seen him.

"Can I have a kitten?" Loki looked up at them, eyes with with innocence and longing.

"No, Loki." Loki opened his eyes a little wider, using the full power of his dejected sad-kitten expression. He could tell it was working – he almost had them under the spell of his cuteness.

"Please may I have a kitten?" Loki spoke softly, making his voice waver softly. It had never failed him before, and this time was no different. They cracked instantly.

"Fine, we'll buy you a kitten. But you're feeding it and emptying its litterbox." Natasha sighed. Loki could probably have conquered earth whenever he liked if only he'd used his eyes instead of an army. Loki grinned triumphantly. Gently moving all but on of the sleeping kittens, he stood, still cuddling one of the kittens against his chest.

"Time to go home, my sweet Kaos," he whispered to the kitten curled up in his arms. Kaos purred.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, that is…really not what I was expecting." Tony stared at the kitten zipped up in Loki's sweater, just its little fluffy head poking out. He didn't dare say it out loud, especially now that he knew Loki was entirely innocent, but he'd half expected Natasha and Clint to bring him back in chains. Again. But apparently this time he'd coerced them into buying him a kitten. "Why exactly have you bought Loki a kitten? Spidergirl, explain."

Natasha looked somewhat embarrassed. "I just…I…who could resist that face?" To prove her point, Loki turned his pleading eyes to Tony, willing a single tear to slip down his cheek. He knew exactly how angelic he looked and how to use that to his advantage. And it was working – he could see Tony cracking just like Natasha and Clint had.

"Okay, but if it makes a mess, I'm blaming you, Antlers."

"She won't make a mess! Her name's Kaos, by the way." Kaos mewed adorably, and Tony smiled before he could stop himself. Just then Steve walked in and froze when he saw the kitten.

"Is that a cat?" He started backing away slowly.

"Yes, it's my cat! Her name's Kaos! What's wrong?" Loki started off enthusiastically, but slowly trailed off when he saw the panicked expression on Steve's face.

"I'm just more of a dog person, that's all." Steve would never admit it, but cats scared him. He'd been badly scratched by a feral cat as a child, and the memory had stuck.

"Aw, you've made Kaos sad. At least come say hello. She's nice, I promise!" Loki seemed almost like a small child – sweet but petulant when he didn't get his way.

"I suppose…if you're sure it's tame…maybe I could…" Steve slowly inched forward, trembling hand held out in front of him. Kaos sniffed his fingers then rubbed her face against his hand, purring. Tentatively, he stroked her head, slowly gaining confidence when she made no aggressive moves. Before long, he was utterly enraptured by the little bundle of fluff.

"Would you like to hold her?" Loki unzipped his jacket and offered Kaos to Steve, who looked slightly apprehensive.

"But what if I drop her?"

"You won't drop her. Besides, cats always land on their feet." Loki smiled reassuringly as Steve gently picked up the kitten and cradled her in his arms. She mewed and curled up against his chest. Steve looked fondly down at her. Loki looked like a proud parent – his new addition to the Avengers family was already being accepted. "Can I go show her to Bruce?"

"Sure thing, Lokes. He's in the lab." Tony flopped down onto the couch with a glass of scotch and started tinkering with some small mechanism. Steve handed Kaos back to Loki, who took off in the general direction of where he thought the labs were.

Several wrong turns later, after getting directions from JARVIS, Loki managed to find Bruce. "Look! Bruce! Bruce, I got a kitten!" Bruce looked up and had to smile at the sight of the overexcited God of Mischief holding up his kitten proudly. It seemed like much longer than a year since Loki had led an army of Chitauri to try and take over the whole world and enslave the human race. He seemed so innocent. Sometimes Bruce had to remind himself that this man had killed eighty people in three days. Most of the time though, he didn't care.

"She's gorgeous, Loki. I probably shouldn't touch her though – my hands are covered in grease. I've been fixing another of Tony's late-night ideas that didn't quite work."

"That's okay. She still likes you. Kaos likes everyone." Kaos somehow knew to meow in all the right places to capture peoples' hearts. Bruce shook his head – that cat was a perfect match for Loki, the God of Mischief.

"Have you shown her to Thor yet?" Loki's eyes grew wide.

"No, I haven't! Gotta go, I need to show Thor!" Loki dashed out of the labs, heading for Thor's room, where Thor was sprawled on his bed watching HGTV. "Thor! Thor! Look! Thor!" Thor muted the television and looked at Loki. As soon as he saw the kitten, Thor's eyes grew to the size of saucers, and he leapt off the bed and ran over to Loki. He crooned over the kitten in Loki's arms, softly stroking her. He looked delighted when she rubbed her head against his arm.

"What is the cat's name, Brother?"

"Kaos." Thor grinned. If his brother had chosen her, the name no doubt suited her.

"She's perfect." Thor hugged his brother, careful not to squish Kaos. Luckily Kaos had seen him coming and climbed onto Loki's shoulders, out of the way. A year ago, Loki would have pulled away, repulsed, but now, he hugged Thor back. Tears filled Thor's eyes. If this kitten made his brother happy, he would protect her with his life.


End file.
